Dog Safety

No matter what part of the country you live in, wild or feral animals pose a serious risk to dogs and other domesticated animals. The specific wild animals you might encounter will depend on your region and whether you’re living in a rural area or a city, but some of the most common culprits include coyotes, raccoons, snakes, skunks, scorpions, rats, and porcupines. These animals aren’t “mean” by nature, but they are predators. They may attack if they believe your dog is threatening them or encroaching on their territory. So how do you keep your canine friend safe from the

Natural disasters like the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey can be devastating, but if there’s a silver lining to those rain clouds it’s seeing the great acts of compassion and selflessness that people are inspired to — for example, when a group of bakers were trapped in their shop for two days, they didn’t panic. Instead, they made pan dulce to give to people in need, using over two tons of flour. And, of course, rescue organizations have swung into action to help not only people affected by the flood, but their animals — including dogs, cats, horses, and cattle.

While the gig economy might be great for people who want to make extra money driving around strangers or renting out apartments to tourists, it isn’t necessarily great for others — like licensed cab drivers or tenants who get evicted so their landlords can make more money. This why many cities have been cracking down on unlicensed service providers, like rideshare apps Uber and Lyft, and short-term rental app Air BnB. This isn’t just an American phenomenon, either. It’s been happening in cities like Barcelona and Hong Kong, and in India in general. The reasons pretty much come down to

It may be an unpleasant reality but a necessary subject. Dog lovers have to deal with their dogs’ poop constantly, whether it’s cleaning up the yard, picking it up on a walk, or (we hope rarely if ever) scrubbing it off of a floor. While it may be tempting to try to look (and smell) the other way while taking care of a dog’s business, there’s actually quite a lot you can learn by paying attention to what’s coming out the other end, because various attributes of dog poop can tell you a lot about the health of your dog

In many parts of the world, when winter rolls around it brings freezing weather with it. Along with the cold comes another danger for our dogs: hypothermia, which is a dangerous drop in body temperature. The name comes from the Greek words “hypo,” meaning under, and “therm,” meaning heat. While the condition can affect dogs and humans, it can affect dogs more severely both because they are generally smaller than people and because a dog’s normal body temperature is higher than ours — in fact, when a human’s body temperature reaches what is normal for a dog, this is called

Thanksgiving is an exciting time to be a dog. There are interesting smells, tons of people to give you attention, and — best of all — the opportunity to snag some delicious table scraps. As Pack Leaders we have to exercise caution, though all table scraps might look delicious to a dog, not all Thanksgiving food is good for them. If your dog gets into the wrong food, he can become quite ill. Nothing puts a damper on holiday festivities like having to rush your pooch to the emergency care center. So what should you watch out for? Turkey A

You may be surprised and disheartened if you learn that your dog has diabetes. But with proper care, your beloved pup can live a long and healthy life. There’s little or no evidence to suggest that dogs get Type 2 diabetes, although cats can. Dogs can and do develop Type 1 diabetes. Just like in human beings, this form of the condition is marked by a lack of insulin, the hormone that keeps blood sugar in check. When an animal or human has diabetes, their muscles have trouble converting glucose into energy. An excess of glucose builds up in the

Rabies is arguably the oldest infectious disease known to humankind, with references to it going as far back as the 24th century BCE. For four thousand years, being infected meant death, whether it was a human or another mammal. This changed in 1885, when Louis Pasteur and Emile Roux successfully tested a rabies vaccine on a human subject, who went on to live another 55 years. At the same time, the vaccine began to be used on dogs. In 2004, the Centers for Disease Control reported there were no more cases of canine-specific rabies in the United States — only

Brook Burton has always had dogs in her life, and when she was still in high school, even joined a dog rescue with her mother in Columbus, Ohio. She currently has two dogs, Freddie, a 12-year-old miniature schnauzer/terrier mix, and Dennis, a 6-year-old Dachshund. Brook’s pack Freddie weighs in at a svelte 10 pounds, 4.5 kilograms, but when Brook rescued Dennis in June, 2013, he broke the scales at a whopping 56 pounds or 25 kilograms. His former owner, a relative, had overfed him a constant diet of unhealthy human food, including pizza and burgers. He could barely walk a few

Dognapping may not be at the top of your list of concerns, but unfortunately, it’s a phenomenon that’s on the rise. The American Kennel Club estimates that pet theft increased 28 percent from 2012 to 2013 alone. Dogs can be stolen for a number of reasons. Purebreds may be sold to pet stores, puppy mills, or breeders. Smaller dogs may be used as bait for dog fighting rings. And some dogs are even taken for their fur. So what can you do to help prevent your dog from being stolen and suffering these possible fates? Here are the steps you